#ttte CotL au

[ye-olde-sodor]

Short post to get back into things but I finally got around to updating my Thomas designs lmao. I love how the mecha legs came out and I’m especially happy that they’re easy to draw! Hat variants under the cut

[ye-olde-sodor]

Claw of the Law’s “Dieselization” Effect explained

When Diesel 10 stole Lady’s whistle and her magic, he quickly used them to reshape the island in his own image. Instead of destroying every steam engine, however, he did steal their wheels.

Wheels play a large part in this au, as they allow for an engine to switch between a human shape and their engine shape. Without them, an engine would be stuck in their human shape and would have to rely on others to get around.

He made every steam engine a deal…if they agreed to become diesels, they’d be given their wheels back and would gain the ability to switch between “human” and engine. If they refused the deal, they’d be stuck in their human shape without their wheels and be forced to use other engines for transportation.

Many took up the deal, thinking they could outsmart 10 at his own game, but that choice proved to be there undoing. Unbeknownst to them, Dieselized steamers tend to follow 10’s every command.

It’s easy to tell if a Steam Engine has been dieselized, as their appearance and personality reflects it. Steam engines typically have colorful hair that reflects their paintjob, while Diesels have plain black hair with maybe a streak or two of color. Dieselized steam engines have dark hair with three streaks of color in it.

Their eyes also change, as the original eye color suddenly becomes two toned. The original eye color is on the bottom while a gold color sits on top of it. The Sclera (whites of the eye) become yellow as well.

Personality wise, a steam engine’s personality becomes swapped when they are dieselized. For example, when Gordon was dieselized, he went from being grandiose and bold to being quiet and shy (and a little unhinged). Whenever Henry was dieselized, he went from being kind and assertive to being a complete asshole who’s full of himself.

On top of the personality change, dieselized steamers don’t remember anything prior to their dieselization. They usually get a new “name” from Diesel 10. For example, Gordon is now named “04”, Henry is now “03”, James is "05", etc.

Lady and Thomas believe that it can be reversed, but they have to get Lady’s whistle back first. They also have to be careful as not to get dieselized themselves!

[ye-olde-sodor]

Hey, remember that CotL au I had? Yeah I should probably get back to that lol. I've been meaning to show off Were-Gorbo for a while but college happened lol. Since it's been a while, here's a quick refresher for this au.

Basically D/10 is a good guy, but he accidentally stumbles upon the long forgotten Lady, and goes mad from all the power and that he gets by rediscovering her. He goes full crazed man gone insane by eldritch powers and now everyone is at his mercy...well almost everyone.

Gordon and 10 have a complicated relationship. They can't tell if it's love or just a fond friendship. Either way the two are especially close, which is why their infamous fight was so startling. The fight could be summarized as Gordon talking to a brick wall that's about to fall over. Then cue the infamous straw that broke the camel's back, that being Gold Dust getting into Gordon's eyes. It was a complete accident, mind you, but it still hurt. Ever since then, Gordon's been by 10's side as he learns how to adjust to his powers as well as 10's.

Since Gold Dust can do a number of unexplainable things, Gordon's lycanthropy is as normal as it gets! It only happens during a full moon, but everyone is convinced it happens every night.

Normally, Gordon's body gives off signs that a transformation is due two to three weeks before a full moon. These signs can include:

Rapid hair growth

A sudden appearance of quills

Doing cat stuff, such as purposefully knocking things off tables, hissing and biting people, and jumping

Easily irritated or tired

Cuddly (but only with certain people)

Screaming at the moon

The sudden urge to swim or run

Whenever Gordon transforms, he can't recognize everyone around him, and tends to avoid or attack his allies. He can only recognize the people who are closest to him (Think Edward, Henry, James, etc). He also tends to be more aggressive and unpredictable during the night. This, combined with his appearance and glowing eyes, which is why everyone tends to stay out of his way if they can.

Gordon himself isn't too fond of the situation either. The transformation leaves him as a big dumb animal for over eight hours, and he always ends up passed out in some part of the woods. It's even more embarrassing if someone stumbles upon him in the morning. If 10 knew how to fix it, Gordon would've forced him to cure him!

[ye-olde-sodor]

About the Dream Canon and COTL Aus...

I know it's been a while since I've done anything with COTL and DC, but that's because I've lost interest in them.

Looking back and rereading my posts on them they just feel...edgy? Half baked? Boring? SS is in the middle of being edgy and being decent, but that's beside the point. I know I should've fleshed these aus out before I showed them off, but I'm more of a "act now, ask later" type of person lol.

I'm not getting rid of them though! Instead, I'm just doing a gentle reboot of them.

DC will be getting the most changes. Instead of Mallard acquiring the whole island in season one, I'll have Mallard convince Topham that Gordon should spend some time at his Facility until he can recover from his brother's loss. With Gordon in Mallard's possession, the island becomes more reliant on him. His main goal is to eventually have the whole island reliant on him instead of Topham.

COTL will be getting a complete overhaul to make it more interesting. It'll take place in a reality where Diesel 10 steals Lady's whistle. Said whistle allows her to control the Gold Dust and grant wishes. He uses the whistle to make himself all powerful and plans to turn all the steamers into diesels. COTL will be focused on Thomas and Lady as they try to form a team to get her whistle back from Diesel 10.

I'll likely post more of those DC headcanon posts since they're easier to make plus make an updated info sheet for all my Aus.

I'm pretty excited about these revamps because I've been wanting to do them for quite some time now and I'm finally ready to post about these aus again. I'm always open to ideas and critiques, so if you have any, please feel free to share!

[ye-olde-sodor]

These two have brain cells I swear-

[ye-olde-sodor]

Night Talks (CotL Fic PT 3)

Gordon gazed of into the distance from the castle balcony. His eyes glanced down at the sight of the city of Vicarstown below him. Vicarstown, the largest city on the Island, connecting the Mainland to Sodor itself, looked so small from the palace in the sky.

When 10 had took control of the island, the Diesel works had ascended into the sky, shifting and morphing from the ranshack sheds that the Diesels dared to call home into a grand and wonderous palace that could rival that of Windsor itself.

Gordon turned his back from the view and leaned against the railing of the balcony. He felt the cold autumn wind brush against his face and arms as he turned his attention to the archway. The light of the moon seemed to shimmer around him and the balcony railing. As Gordon look at the grand arch, a small, thin man in a red turtleneck and black overalls had appeared.

Diesel, the appointed magic scholar, had returned from his trip from the bar. Gordon scoffed at him as he approached.

"You're fifteen minutes late, Rudolph. Any later and you would've had to deal with the Patrols."

"Yeah yeah," the diesel mocked. "It's not my fault we had to take the roads."

Gordon became cross at the mention of roads. "You took the roads?! You're a diesel, why didn't you just travel by rail?!"

"Hey, blame Dodge, not me!" the thin man proclaimed. "His engine failed last week, remember?"

Gordon blinked. He had heard of Dodge's engine, but had assumed all had been fixed. He also assumed that Dodge would've just climbed into one of his colleagues cabs and driven home. Then again, after living with them for so long, he knew the diesels tend to make things more complicated than they would've been had they just used their heads. At least they were typically creative in their poor decisions.

He rolled his eyes at the man but decided to drop the subject. "Just...try to get back here on time next time. I'd hate for you to get mixed up with the patrols."

Diesel, surprisingly enough, felt guilty. Gordon was one of the few engines on the railway that had a fondness for Diesel, although he's not exactly sure why.

In a surprising turn of events, Gordon had stayed with the Diesels after his fight with Diesel 10 and had been working for them ever since. He'd gotten along with the other diesels better than anyone would've expected...and he became especially close to 10.

Diesel wasn't the only one who noticed this change in the prideful engine's notion towards diesels. Many suspected that it had to do with what had happened in the fight between the two of them. While he himself wasn't present for it, he knew that the mysterious Gold Dust was involved with it...and he was determined to understand how it worked.

He walked closer to Gordon and pulled a sheet of paper out of his overall pocket and handed it to Gordon.

"If it makes up for it, I've been meaning to give you to this," he explained.

"What is it?" Gordon questioned.

"It's just an experiment proposal for the dust. I'll need a small bag of the dust for it, but it's a reasonable amount."

"So you want me to propose the idea to him." Gordon concluded as he skimmed through the paper. Diesel was right, It was a simple request. Just a small amount of Gold Dust for Diesel to sprinkle onto a live plant to see what would happen. Simple, but if it produces a result, can prove to be very useful.

"You're the only one he talks to anymore," he argued. "Even Splatter and Dodge can't get to him."

"That makes sense," Gordon argued, "He's...changed since the last time you've seen him."

"Really?" Diesel snarked sarcastically.

"More so than usual, you brick." Gordon sneered. "If you knew how much he's changed you'd understand."

"Of course I know how much he's changed," Diesel thought, "I've known him for years and no one knew he would do this. Besides, what do you know about him? How did you suddenly become his number one fan?"

Gordon put the paper in his pocket and turned to Diesel. "Well, I'll see what I can do. I can't guarantee that he'll go through with the idea, but I'm sure he'll have a look at it. I know he's fond of your little tricks and tests."

"Y'know, you sure know a lot about him." Diesel teased. "I've known him for, what, Three years now? I didn't even know he liked my tricks!"

"What are you implying?" Gordon growled.

"Oh nothing! Nothing at all!" Diesel said as he threw his arms up in defense. "It's just that, well...You two seem awfully close for-"

"We're friends." Gordon interrupted, his face turning red. "Nothing more, nothing less. You're just telling whoppers again."

"For Makers sake Gordon, you two have matching tattoos!"

"Friends can have matching tattoos!" Gordon protested as steam rose from his mouth.

"And send each other love poems?"

"Friends can absolutely send-HEY."

Diesel smiled at the reaction. Little did Gordon know that he had stumbled on a poem on Gordon's desk earlier that day. He had no ill intent with the information, he merely wanted to hear it from the blue engine himself. Both for confirmation and for the fun of it.

"It's fine, really." Diesel insisted, "I just wanna know the story. How did you two, of all engines, hook up?"

Gordon, knowing he'd been caught, let out a long sigh. "It happened around...three years ago. When he first showed up here."

"That long?!"

"It didn't happen right away, you fool!" Gordon clarified. "He was the one who started to feel something for me when I was teaching him the express route. I didn't start having those feelings until after he sent me one of his poems."

"How Chessy." Diesel snarked sarcastically.

"Oh it gets better," Gordon remarked. "It was a rough draft. According to him it was awful, but his driver mixed up the rough draft with the finished poem."

Diesel cocked his head, "Sooooo what happened when you read it?"

"I was swooned." he admitted with a deadpan look, "Completely taken out of my element."

Diesel burst into laughter as Gordon went on, ignoring the man altogether as he was lost in recollection.

"He had his driver pin the note to the side of the shed wall where I was sleeping for the night. When my driver found it in the morning, he read it out loud to us."

Diesel tried to compose himself as Gordon when on.

"I didn't even know we could feel intimacy towards each other until then, and even after the poem I was still skeptical about the feeling. A few weeks later the two of us met to talk about it, and we decided to just keep things the same."

"What?"

"Neither of us knew what romance was. 10 believed that we could feel it, I didn't. We didn't even know if what we were feeling is love to begin with. It could be something else entirely for all we know."

The emotions of machines were never fully understood by anyone, not even the machines themselves. Many believed that they could feel certain emotions, others didn't. Gordon was one of these machines. Him and the majority of the engines on the island believed that love was foreign to engines, even after the evidence from Toby and Henrietta. Until 10 came along, he was convinced that romantic attraction was impossible for engines to feel, and even went as far as to shame those who did back in his youth. Now that he was older (and wiser), he's been expressing doubts about the beliefs that were drilled into him at Doncaster.

Diesel, now incredibly intrigued and eager to help, wanted to quiz the engine. "Can you describe it. The feeling I mean, can you tell me what it feels like?"

"It's...difficult to explain it, but I could try to."

Diesel nodded and decided that questions could help him out. "When my driver fell in love, he said that he could feel happy when he thought of her. What does it feel like when you think of him?"

Gordon took a moment to think about it and responded back. "I feel...warm. Like my fire was recently lit during the winter. It's cozy, and it feels good."

"What about when you two are close together or when you spend time with him? Do you get the same feeling?"

"Yes, I do." Gordon explained. "It's the same feeling, but it's stronger. Warmer even...What do you make of it?"

"Driver says love is like a fever," explained Diesel, "But it's a good fever. It means you found the person who you want to stay with for the rest of your life. The two of you are supposed to be happy together, your supposed to make each other happy, y'know?"

"When you put it like that, it makes sense. But it feels so much more complicated than that, words just can't do it justice."

"It sounds a lot like love to me," Diesel spoke. "but I can't speak for the two of you. You gotta figure that out yourselves."

"True, but some advice from an expert would be appreciated...I don't think either of us know what we're doing."

Diesel shrugged his shoulders. "I may not know much about love but...well I wish for the best for you two. If anyone it can make it work, it's 10. He's tough, but he's a softie. He'd never hurt someone that he loves."

Gordon smiled at the man. He was about to thank his friend before he was seized by a sudden coughing fit. He began to cough violently as thick black smoke had begun to bellow out of his mouth, the smell of diesel fuel filling the air around him.

He knelt down to the ground as he gripped his chest. Diesel reacted quickly and placed his hands on his shoulders as he tried to soothe him. The smoke stung his eyes, but he held on to his friend, waiting for the eventual end to the coughing fit.

The two of them had grown accustomed to the fits, as they had started after his fight with 10 on the platform at Knapford. They typically started around midnight and in the early morning hours, and only lasted for a few moments.

Diesel would never suggest it to Gordon's face, but he suspects that the Gold Dust that 10 used in the fight had been the cause of the fits...and Gordon's transformations.

Eventually, as the black clouds faded, Gordon released the grip on his chest and looked at the palm of his hand. His already long nails had formed into a set of claws, with small quills jutting out from his arm. He cursed as he rubbed his wrist and, with the help of Diesel, got up from the ground.

“It would appear…that my stay here is overdue. Very overdue." he spoke weakly. “Derick and Spamcan must be waiting for me at the gates…I should be off."

"Wait, are you alright? Do you need someone to cover for you?"

"I'm fine," he spoke softly. "If anything, it's quite ironic. I lecture you for being late and yet here I am stalling. We can chat in the morning when we get back, if you'd like."

Diesel smiled as he helped Gordon to his feet, careful not to poke himself with the quills. "Deal, but take it easy. I don't want to be the guy to tell 10 that his boyfriend got hurt on the job."

"Oh hush you." he teased. "There'll be Hell to pay for everyone if that were to happen to me."

Gordon waved farewell to Diesel and walked into the fortress. As he entered the castle, a feeling of excitement and unease rushed into his body in anticipation of the patrol. Like all of the other changes to his body, he had become used to the sudden changes in appearance and behavior by now...but it didn't make what would happen next any more normal.

He hated it, but there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it. Not until they understood his situation, and in order to understand it, he had to let it happen. Not that he had much of a choice.

A small pain in his chest had formed again, and his heart began to race...and he sprinted towards the gates, praying that no one would see what would about to happen to him next.

[ye-olde-sodor]

So what exactly is everyone doing in the CotL au?

If you haven't read my first CotL related fanfic, you can do so here. But for the rest of us that have, you'll know that Thomas is a bartender at a local pub! Which begs into question...what do the other engines do in this au?

Thomas is, as I've said, a bartender. He caters to both the diesels and the human workers while also keeping them in line. If you ask him, it's like keeping the trucks behaved, but on a larger scale. Thankfully those 80 years of working experience can come in handy for tough situations...now if only he had that same amount of experience when it comes to fist fighting and bar brawls.

Edward is actually the stationmaster for Tidmouth! Not a lot of people know this, primarily because he likes to stay out of sight and out of public as much as possible. He only shows himself if he absolutely has to, such as with fights or if Gordon wants to speak to him. If a fight were to somehow occur, his mere appearance alone is enough to end it. It's not because they're scared of him, but rather out of respect for him.

Henry is jobless, as he's a part of a secret uprising group that consists of Bear and Boco. They've become known as the Great Greens and have the reputation as your stereotypical street gang despite their actual intentions. Bear says they should probably ditch the "punk" look but Boco is insistent that it'll help attract new recruits. "The trendier we are, the more likely that people will like us!"

Gordon is the leader of the patrol squads meant to reinforce the midnight curfew. After having Gold Dust thrown at him, he's become more active during the night, making him the perfect candidate for the job, (minus the whole werewolf thing).

James works at the same bar as Thomas, but only on certain days. He's been known to provide shows during the weekends, mostly karaoke, his own music, etc. He's pretty good at it, as many look foreword to his shows!

Percy is, like Henry, without a job. This is because he hops around different jobs and scavenges for things. If he can't find a job, he'll scavenge whatever he can find and bring it back to the Farquar Sheds for Thomas, Toby, Henrietta, and Diesel whenever he visits them.

Toby keeps guard of Farquar's near abandoned station, serving as its honorary station master. He typically does this with his wife, Henrietta, by his side. Even with the introduction of magic and so called gods, these two lovebirds are staying side by side!

Duck, Donald, Douglas, Oliver, and Toad are imprisoned in the Vickerstown Castle that was created by D/10. While Oliver and Toad escaped, the others are still trapped. Just like old times, the duo are on the run, but don't have the luxury of bring able to escape back to the UK this time.

Emily, Rosie, and Molly hop jobs just like Percy. On occasion, they even bump into each other! Unlike Percy though, they don't have a permanent place to stay, and typically stay in apartments and abandoned houses.

Diesel is the "Royal Magic Researcher" to D/10 and is a double agent to Thomas and Percy in secret. He uses the resources he gets from 10, and relays whatever he learns to both 10 and to his friends. So far, he's determined that "Gold Dust" can grant anyone powers. He's still experimenting with the dust, so it'll take some time to fully understand it.

As for everyone else...I'm still working on it. If you have a favorite character and want to see them in this au, let me know what job you think they would have! Not only will that help me out but it'll make this au more personal with everyone!

[ye-olde-sodor]

Family Reunion (CotL Fic)

Sorry for the lack of content, I forgot that I was real. I wanted to try something a little different than what I'd normally do, but this turned out to be super fun and easy to do, so I'll probably be doing more of these lmao. Anyways, enjoy the look into Claw of the Law!

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"Go on holiday", they said, "The Railway will be fine!" they said!

Surely the whole island won't suddenly separate itself from the entire Mainland in mere seconds! There isn't a chance that it'll suddenly become lost at sea through some otherworldly nature, don't be ridiculous! We won't have to send for a rescue crew to track the island down in order to get you and your family home!

The Fat controller sighed as he opened the door to the local Pub outside of Tidmouth Station. He looked around at his fellow patrons, and felt as though he had finally lost his mind.

The place recked of diesel fuel despite the open windows, although no one seemed to notice of care. If anything, it was like they were used to the smell of the fumes. At each of the tables, a large crowd of grey skinned workers happily drank a noncaseous black liquid from large mugs. At one table, a group of the men were playing cards. At another, they were cheering for some sort of great achievement unknown to Topham.

The Pub was rowdy, sure, but it was much tamer then what Topham had expected it to be...especially considering that he knew almost everyone in the Pub.

They were the Vicarstown Diesel fleet! His own engines!

He had already known of the sudden "change" within the Sudrian locomotives, but even after a week of being on the newly re-discovered island, he still couldn't believe his eyes. But he knew that it was them, even without looking at them he knew. He knew it was them, the same way a child knows it's mother.

As he walked to the bar in front of him he was able to recognize a few faces. The most noticeable of them was Diesel himself. Despite him wearing the same black overalls and hat as all the other diesels, his bright red turtleneck and tall posture made him stand out from the rest. Naturally, he was seated at the table celebrating a success, with his mug held high as they announced a toast.

Beside him was most likely Splatter, primarily due to the purple shirt hidden by the overalls. His brother Dodge right beside him. Interestingly, the scrapyard twins Arry and Bert were right beside them, with what looked to be Dennis at the far end of the table.

"Knowing him, he was only here for the party..." Sir Topham though to himself as he sat at a barstool. The other diesels didn't seem to notice him enter, nor did they seem to notice that it was actually him. Perhaps this was due to the winter coat he was wearing. That, and he traded his signature top hat for a smaller cap instead. He didn't think it would be that much of a difference, but clearly he was mistaken.

Just then a diesel on the other side of the bar had approached him with a notepad in hand.

The man had grey skin just like the other locomotives, except he was much paler when compared to the rest of them. Unlike the other locomotives there, he wore a black leather jacket with a teal shirt underneath it. His trousers were a shade of burgundy, with a black belt wrapped around it.

Interestingly, he was wearing on of those new fancy "chokers" that the youth were wearing nowadays. Topham never understood the trend himself, to him it just looked like a safety hazard. The locomotive also had a set of silver piercings, although Topham couldn't possibly understand how that could've happened.

The diesel had long, dark blue hair. If he didn't know any better, Topham would've assumed that it was a bird's nest given how messy the hair was. On the bright side, it looked clean and devoid of any grease or grime.

What really caught Topham's attention though, was the man's face. His face was eerily familiar, but Topham wasn't quite sure if he recognized this diesel. He had a much softer face then most other diesels, but had a stern look on his face. It was as if he hadn't smiled in years. His eyes had dark circles over them, yet his eyes were still a piercing green.

Topham was sure that he knew this man, but It wasn't until the man spoke did Topham finally put it all together.

"Welcome to Jamies, how can I help you?"

Topham's eyes shot open at the sound of his voice. He quickly pulled out a picture of one of his engines and held it out in front of him.

Lo and behold, it was an exact match. Almost. For starters, Thomas never had bags under his eyes until now, and he always had triangular eyebrows, not the long and thin ones he had now.

"Um, sir?" Thomas questioned, "Are you going to order something or are we just going to stand here all night?"

Apparently, Thomas didn't recognize him either! To be fair though, Topham had changed since they last met as well. The stress from losing an entire island and his fleet of engines had not been kind to him in the slightest. He even managed to lose a little bit of weight!

Once Topham snapped out of it, he looked at Thomas with glee.

"Thomas! Is that really you?"

Now it was Thomas's turn to be surprised! He looked at Topham, rubbed his eyes, and looked back at him. After a few moments, a bright smile had formed across his face.

"Sir! I can't believe it's you!" he cried excitedly, "I almost didn't recognize you!"

"I almost didn't recognize you!" retorted the Fat Controller, "What on earth happened to you?"

"The same thing that happened to everyone else, engine one minute, Mengine the next!"

Sir Topham Hatt crocked his head at the mention of Mengines. He had heard the word tossed around before, and through deduction he was able to figure out what it meant. While the island still had it's human inhabitants, it also had "Mengines", men who could turn into engines. From what he could tell, only the diesels could shift from one for to the other, while the steam engines were left with one form.

Regardless of what his engines were now, all that mattered to him was their wellbeing. That, and trying to save the railway from bankruptcy and forever tarnishing the Hatt family legacy.

And now that he's found his number 1 engine...he can surely find the rest of them. If he can do that, then maybe, just maybe, they can work something out to befit from this strange mess.

[ye-olde-sodor]

Au Post list

Since I got a lot of Aus, I figured that I made a list of all of the lore important posts that I've made so far! This won't replace the pinned post but will just be a link in that post!

SS Posts:  

Thomas

Edward

Henry

Gordon

James

Percy

Toby 7/7

Duck 8/8

Donald 9/9

Douglas 10/10

Oliver 11/11

Diesel 10

Diesel

Outdated COTL Posts:  

Meme Posts (old)

Lore Post 1 (old)

Lore Post 2 (old)

Were-Gorbo (old)

Family Reunion (FIC PT1 ) (old)

Midnight Smoke (FIC PT 2) (old)

Night Talks (FIC PT 3) (old)

New COTL Posts:  

Engine Lore

Dieselization Lore

Au Lore

Humans (FIC)

DC Posts:  

Seasons and Episode list (PT 1) (OLD)

Seasons and Episodes (PT 1) (NEW)

Seasons and Episodes (PT 2) (NEW)

Engine Hierarchy & Lore (Old)

Engine Hierarchy & Lore (Updated)

Engine Fleets

Know Your Place (FIC)

What am I to You? (FIC)

Solario

Thomas

Edward

Henry

Gordon

James

Percy

Toby

Duck

Diesel

Diesel 10

Scott

Mallard

Spencer

Ryan

Miscellaneous Aus:

Percy Villain Au (FIC)

Vampire!Gordon

No RWS?

[ye-olde-sodor]

Welcome!

This is a TTTE themed side blog for @fan-burns! Here, you'll find many different Aus, headcanons, fanfics, and more!

If you have any questions about any of my Aus, or simply want to ask a character a question, feel free to do so! The Inbox is always open, and I'd love to answer any questions you have!

Master List

[ye-olde-sodor]

Midnight Smoke (CotL fanfic PT 2)

Thomas poured another glass for the Fat Controller, much to the man's amusement. Even after the two have chatted for some time now, it was still surreal to see one of his engines pour him a glass of gin. It was even more surreal to see Thomas as a bartender.

Thomas the tank engine. As a bartender. Serving drinks. It’s the end of the world is it?

"I'm still convinced that I'm dreaming. Maybe I'm in a coma."

"Well if that's the case," Thomas began as he handed him the small glass, "would you pretty please wake up? I've grown quite tired of the diesel regime. And I would like my wheels back."

This puzzled the controller, "I thought you didn't mind the legs?"

He took a deep sigh as he cleaned a nearby glass. "It's not that, it's just...this whole "Mengine" thing is getting out of hand. The diesels pretty much run the whole island and we’re stuck scrambling for money and supplies. We can't even travel on our own anymore, we have to take a train."

Topham was puzzled by that. “Like the express?"

Thomas became tense at the mention of Gordon's train. For a moment, he had stopped cleaning the glass. Sir Topham Hatt was about to ask what the matter was, before Thomas came back to his senses.

"That," he told him bluntly. "...Or if you're like me and live out at Ffarquhar, you have to catch Diesel's train from either Tidmouth or Knapford depending on the day."

Topham was baffled by the sudden shift, but felt it wise as to not pry into it for the time being. “So you rely on the diesels for transport then?”

“Don’t really have any other options,” he spoke grimly. “The roads are still up, but Bulgy is in charge of them. All of them.”

“Dear God, what has he done?” Topham asked himself.

Despite the hushed tone of the question, Thomas was able to hear it. “He’s barred any engine, steam or diesel, from traveling on them. Even 10 can’t travel on them without Bulgy causing a fuss.”

Thomas put the glass and cloth down and brought his hand up to form a puppet. He cleared his throat and spoke in a gravely voice.

“It’s for the safety of the humans!” He said as he rolled his eyes, “It ain’t proper for ‘em to have legs! We can’t be having ‘em taking over the town! Down with all Railways!”

He got a chuckle out of Topham. Out of all of his impersonations, his Bulgy voice was spot on. It was probably due to him constantly mocking the double decker ever since the two of them met. He’d usually shame his engines for mockery, but given the current situation, he could afford to make an acceptation.

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A few hours later, and the entire bar was suddenly empty, save for Thomas and Topham Hatt. Out of curiosity, Thomas took a glance at the old grandfather clock next to the door, and he felt his heart sink.

11:30. It was almost midnight. As soon as he realized this, Thomas nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Oh shi-I mean...I completely lost track of time, we need to move."

Topham was taken aback by the nervous tone in his engines voice, "What's the matter? Why is-"

"Curfew." Thomas explained it bluntly. "By Diesel 10 and Gor..."

He stopped himself from finishing his sentence, and he shook his head to find the words he was looking for. "By Diesel 10's orders. "To keep everyone safe" according to him. He's pretty strict about it too, so we better get going."

Now Topham was convinced. Thomas is hiding something from him, but what? And why?

"Do you have a place to go?" Thomas asked quickly. "If not, you can bunk with me and Percy for the time."

The Fat Controller stood up from his stool and adjusted his coat. "Goodness no! We've set up camp not too far from here, I can make it there on my own."

"If you insist, sir. Follow me, it'll be safer to go out the back. Less chance of being spotted."

With a nod, he rounded the bar to get to the other side. Once he met up with Thomas, the two of them took the door into the kitchen. Much to Topham's surprise, the area was spotless of any grime, dust, or even food! It was as if no one has been cooking in here since this whole fiasco happened!

Walking in between the countertops and the pan racks, the two were able to reach the back of the kitchen where the back entrance laid. When the pair opened the door, the cold autumn wind had made itself known. The moon shone bright overhead above the clouds as leaves began to dance in the wind. It was hard for Topham to see, but he hoped that he could find a light to take with him.

"Are you sure you don't want to head to Ffarquhar with me?" Thomas asked. "It'll be a lot safer if we traveled together. Especially for you."

Thomas taking caution into consideration was already a major red flag for Topham, (remember, this is the same engine that took a plunge in a mine). Regardless of the warning, his wife and henchmen were at the camp, and he couldn't leave them there alone.

"I'll be fine, Thomas. You just focus on yourself for the time being."

He gave him a small smile. A fake smile, one of which Topham had seen many times in both man and machine. "Is there anything else you need from me? Supplies, food, drinks...anything at all?"

There was one thing. He debated asking about it, but seeing as they had some time, he might as well.

"Do you know where the others are at? I know Percy is with you, and James is here, but if we're going to fix this we'll need as much help as we can get."

Thomas, with a look of despair on his face, took a deep breath and reached into another jacket pocket. "Kind of. Toby and Henrietta are staying with us, Edward is over on his Branch line with the bee twins, and I saw Oliver and Toad racing down the Main Line."

To Topham's astonishment, Thomas pulled out a packet of cigarettes. First, he becomes a bartender, now he's picked up a smoking habit?! He was about to shame him for partaking in such an act but realized that it would be rather foolish to shame a steam locomotive for smoking. He'd already made that mistake with James, and he wouldn't dare make that mistake twice.

He took one of the cigarettes out of the golden packaging and placed the rest in his pocket before going on. "Henry hasn't been seen since this all happened, Bear and Boco were apparently "exiled" from the Diesel Works because they were sympathetic towards us, and last I heard, Duck and the rest of the Little Western were arrested."

"Arrested?!" cried the Fat Controller. "For what?!"

"Take a guess." Thomas said with a chuckle as he brought the tip of the cigarette to his mouth. He gently blew onto it, and the cigarette had suddenly lit itself. A bright stream of smoke began to billow into the sky, illuminating their surroundings.

The controller had already known about the so called "Fire Breath" that the steam locomotives had. It was a (mostly) harmless ability that they've had since they rolled out of the factory, nowhere near the much more dangerous fire of a cold started diesel.

As enchanting as the strange cigarette was, he didn't have the time or the patience to ask for an explanation. There were far more important matters at hand.

"They didn't like how 10 was doing things," Thomas explained. "so, they took it up with him. I haven't heard anything from them, but I can tell you that they're still alive."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because if Oliver and Toad were able to escape, then it's likely that they will to, if they haven't already."

Thomas did bring up a good point, thought that Fat Controller. The Little Western engines were the respectful type, and never caused any problems if it could be helped. Likewise, they'd never tolerate a bully in the yards, even if they had black magic on their side.

"Regardless," Thomas continued, "Everyone else is either scattered or working for 10. Percy and I have been trying to figure out who's where, but we haven't had much luck with it."

Suddenly, Sir Topham Hatt realized something. "Wait a moment, what about Gordon? The express is still around, so he wouldn't just abandon it for..."

The Fat Controller stopped himself as Thomas once again froze at the mention of Gordon. He looked unsettled by the mention of Gordon, disturbed even.

He knew something, he had to.

"...What's wrong, Thomas?" he asked with concern. "What happened to Gordon?"

Thomas, after a few moments, relaxed his shoulders and drew a long drag from his cigarette. The bright smoke rose high into the air, creating even more light in the dark sky.

"It's...well it's, um." Thomas stuttered.

Realizing this, he took a deep breath again, and tried to explain it.

"I...no one likes to talk about it." He spoke solemnly. "That diesel did something to him, and now he's...I-I dare not say it."

The controller was rightfully concerned. "Thomas, if something serious has happened to Gordon, then I have to know about it!" He proclaimed gently. "I understand if it upsets you, but I have to know!"

"I know you do sir, and I want to tell you but I can't. I have no idea what happened to him! No one does!"

Seeing that his controller didn't understand what he was trying to tell him, he knew he had to elaborate.

"He's still here, but he isn't...here here." Thomas explained. "We all saw what he did to him, but no one can explain it...and even if we could, we'd rather not speak of it. For our own sakes."

"But he is alive? Alive and mostly well?"

"Without question. He's supposed to be in charge of the express, but he doesn't take it as often, if at all. He mainly lets the larger diesels pull it."

The controller was speechless. Gordon? Handing over his express to the diesels? Presumably because he no longer cares for the train and the coaches?...What have they done to him?

"B-but if he doesn't take the express," the controller began unsteadily, "Then what does he do?"

"He switches between goods trains and the daily patrols." Thomas explained with a shudder. "He's...terrifying at night.”

While it wasn't the news he wanted, he was satisfied with knowing that Gordon was alright...mostly. He'll absolutely be having a stern talk with that Diesel 10 if they ever fix this mess.

If they ever fix this mess.

Suddenly, a loud diesel horn sounded in the distance, and Thomas quickly threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. The light quickly disappearing as he did so.

"That would be the patrol squad." He explained quickly. "We better get moving."

"Alright then, I'll head back and have us move camp closer to Ffarquhar in the morning. I'll meet you...where are you staying again?"

"At the sheds, where the three of us are usually at."

"Right! I'll see you there!"

Thomas nodded his head in reply. "I'll see you then, sir! Be careful getting back, and don't trust any of the diesels!"

Before he could ask what he met by that, Thomas speed off faster then Topham could've imagined. In a blink of an eye, Thomas was already long gone.

Whoever or whatever this patrol was, they must've been incredibly dangerous if they caused Thomas of all engines to break Mallard's speed record. 10 times over.

The Fat Controller, seeing no other option, fled for the nearby town just ahead. Albeit at a much, much slower pace...

[ye-olde-sodor]

Some more LORE for CotL!

I wanted to show off the differences between diesel and steam in this Au since it’s gonna be important for a later story. Didn’t feel like drawing Diesel yet since I didn’t have a design for him yet, so we have a diesel Thomas instead lol.

New story for CotL coming out soon!